The Grenada gazette., 1887-10-01
THE CHESTNUT BELL.

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rhs Nsvs of Its Existence Finally Reaches
On Enslish Mssasine Editor.
To say that the Americans have got
a new slang expression is like repeat.
ing the ancient news that man died
Yesterday in London. But there are
riants even among the Brobdingnags,
and from time to time fresh Ameri-
capism breaks out "like an Irish rebel.
lion thirty thousand strong" and rises
to the dignity of national institution.
Such seems to be the magnitude and
Importance of the simple word "chest-
nuts" Like many great incarnations
"chestnuts'' came at first before the
world in humble guise. As an Ameri'
can Anglo-German poet has sung:
No one knew how 1t was started,
Orhow de fore.shlog came
but about two years ago, where OF
Whenever a Frenchman would have
cried .'Connu!' or an Englishman have
murmured "Joe Millcr!" the Transat-
lantics began to yell "chestnuts!"
Woe to the man who tried to palm of
an "old soldier" for recruit" if any
one was present who recognized a
single feature. But, as usual, when
the etymologists examined the new
phrase, nobody knew whence it came.
1t was said that the dead chestnut of
last year suggested, like Villon's SHOWS
of the preceding year or Of the south
wind, its origin. Any one who has
prowled in the forests in spring time
knows how often a chestnut may be
picked up which is fair to view, but
which on examination proves to be
about as valuable as Dead Sea apple.
Another Investigator declared that the
word was derived from certain invet-
crate repeater Of worn-out jokes named
Chestnut who had actually been in
dicted by grand jury in Connecticut
as a public nuisance "hecause nobody
could stand his stories."
But it Is time to consider what will
be the ultimate effect Of the chestnut
bell on American intellect and culture.
Is it really good for country to have
no old jokes, no venerable Joes, no
standards of ''fune" Everybody can
not rise to a point Of order or to the
point of a joke with the acumen Of a
Riddlebcrger. Even a great American
declared, after years of investigation
through the annals Of medieval, classic,
Egyptian and Assyrian wit and humor,
that there are only twenty-five original
jests in existence, and that all known
at the present day can be referred to
one or another of these. At the end Of
the last century the chestnut bell was
rung in France as "Connuv' The res
suit has been-froth. A feverish fret
fulness for something new, and ever
something new, brought France from
Rabelais to Voltaire-some may say
raised it-but the cry of "Connu!' de-
based it to endless isolated frivolous
witticisms. There has been great re-
joicing oyer the death Of the pun; but
even the pun was not SO bad as the
mere slang phrase which is succeeding
it.
One can not reflect without horror
what the result would be should this
great American 'campanologistic cor
rective" be introduced to England.
Fancy the chestnut bell in our House OF
Commons-worse yet, in the House Of
Lords! But even here there is a CLEAN
Of light. 1t is within the reach of i'm.
agination to conceive its being rung
with great effect during one Of Mr..
Gladstone's speeches. Imagine Lord
Churchill armed with one!
Imagine-but the Imagination of the
reader will supply the rest. II there
ever was bell which deserved to bear
the inscription ''fulgura FRANCO" it is
the chestnut. That will break up the
Of 1.-THE gods. ."-Saturday Re-
,ss>sn